How Great Thou Art

This hymn as we now know it is really only about 30 years old.  For a 20th century hymn, it has quickly become a world-wide favorite.  It was introduced to American audiences at Stony Brook Bible College in 1951  but it wasn't until Cliff Barrows and Bev Shea of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Team used it during the famed London Crusade, that the hymn started to become universally well-known.

The original source for the words was a Swedish poem by the Reverend Carl Boberg written in 1886.  His inspiration for this text is said to have come from a visit to a beautiful country estate on the southern coast of Sweden.  He was caught in a awe-inspiring thunderstorm which swung between flashing violence followed by a clearing calm punctuated by a clear brilliant sun and the sweet songs of nearby trees. The experience prompted the pastor to fall to his knees in humble adoration of his mighty God and he penned a nine-stanza hymn.  Several years later the Swedish pastor was surprised to hear a congregation sing his poem to the tune of an old Swedish melody.

A generation later in the early 1920s English missionary Stuart Hine and his wife were ministering in Poland where they learned there was a Russian version of Boberg's poem sung to the Swedish melody.  The text was subsequently translated into German.  In 1925, the Reverend Gustav Johnson translated the original Swedish text into English.  This translation is quite different than what we typically use today but may still be found in some hymnals.  in 1927, the German was translated into the Russian language.

Stuart Hine arranged the poem into a hymn version based on an experience as he was ministering in the Carpatian mountains.  He was deeply impressed by the beauty of the woods and forest glades.  The fourth verse was written after he returned to England.

Is it any wonder that it is a world-wide favorite? A discussion of How Great thou Art is not complete without hearing the great George Beverly Shea singing it as part of a Billy Graham service. Enjoy!